Germany’s CDU leader Friedrich Merz visits Kyiv to reaffirm support

During a visit to Kyiv on Monday, the leader of Germany’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, said his party stands firmly with Ukraine.

“I am very much looking forward to meeting the president [Volodymyr Zelenskyy] again and would like to find out during the day what the situation in Ukraine is like, and what we can do to help this battered country defend itself against Russian aggression,” Merz said upon his arrival.

Merz, the CDU’s candidate for chancellor in Germany’s upcoming elections on 23 February, is looking to shore up support for his base ahead of the snap polls.

After his meeting with President Zelenskyy, Merz wrote on X: “Friends. Allies. Partners.” He stressed that Germany “will do everything to support Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself. For freedom. For peace. For the people of Ukraine.”

On his part, the Ukrainian president said the two discussed “the need to increase military aid for the next year,” as well as Ukraine’s integration into the EU. “We agreed on the importance of enhancing Ukraine’s long-range capabilities and extending an invitation to NATO,” he added.

Merz’s visit followed that of the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the Ukrainian capital last week. Scholz, who is contesting for reelection after the collapse of his government in November, has drawn criticism for refusing to supply Kyiv with long-range Taurus missiles.

However, as the largest supplier of weapons and military equipment aside from the US, Germany continues to remain a vital ally for Ukraine, while a debate on its support for the country has been a major pre-election topic.

A significant amount of German voters have grown tired of the nearly three-year war against the Russian invasion, and have turned their support to far-right and far-left parties that oppose arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Political uncertainty in Berlin over Ukraine

The 68-year-old Merz, chosen in September to be the CDU’s candidate for chancellor, wants to maintain support for Ukraine.

With the trajectory of the Ukraine war still uncertain, Kyiv is also waiting to learn the plans of incoming US president Donald Trump, and recently increased talks with European allies.

Other campaign issues are Berlin’s ailingeconomy, which led to the collapse of the government in the first place, and the issue of migration.

Germany has been governed since 2021 by a coalition led by Olaf Scholz’s left-leaning Social Democrats, which included the smaller pro-business Free Democrats and the Greens.

The coalition, which has become unpopular, suffered losses in the European Parliament elections earlier this year as well as in recent state elections in Thuringia and Saxony.

Following the collapse of Scholz’s coalition with the Liberals and Greens in November, Chancellor Scholz consented to hold a vote of confidence on 16 December, a necessary step ahead of early federal elections as the chancellor must first call the vote in parliament.

The Christian Democrats are seen as Germany’s strongest party, with some polls projecting Merz to succeed Scholz in February.